Something For Jane
by Schuyler
Summary: Will and Jane have eyes for each other...until Merriman and Simon find out...it starts at the end of Greenwitch and picks up with Silver On The Tree...my first TDIS fic, be gentle with your reviews--more chapters to come!
1. Default Chapter

            "Goodbye, Greenwitch."

As the thin plate of gold disappeared beneath the surface of the shimmering waters, Jane Drew nearly stumbled off the slippery rock where she had been precariously balanced before she threw it.

            "Ooh!" she cried out, as Will Stanton's thin arms encircled her and tightened, preventing her from falling. 

            Jane regained her balance and steadied herself on the sand beside Will, whose right arm had dropped back to his side, leaving the left lying gently on Jane's lower back.  "Thank you," said Jane softly.  "You're not quite like the rest of us, are you?"  She was aware that Will still was touching her, but for some reason she didn't mind; in fact, if he retracted his arm she felt she would have burst into a million pieces.

            "Not quite," Will answered.

            Jane seemed satisfied with his answer, and the two continued to watch the gentle waves roll in and out, the sun reflecting off the waters and creating a warm light.

            Will cleared his throat after a few minutes.  He slipped his arm off Jane's back and opted instead to lace his fingers in hers.  "I…I wanted to thank you, Jane Drew.  Before you went away home."

            Jane turned to face him.  She had this big, goofy grin on her face due to her excitement of the handholding.  "What did I do?"

            "You were always nice to me," replied Will, a bit of color coming to his cheeks.  "Even when your brothers weren't.  And also, you found the manuscript.  We couldn't have—I couldn't have--made it through this trip without you."

            Heat immediately went up to Jane's face, flushing her face an embarrassed scarlet to match Will's, a feeling that Jane decided that she liked.  "You're welcome, Will."

            Without thinking and without mutually deciding it, Will Stanton and Jane Drew drew each other into an amiable hug, both hearts pounding from either excitement or sheer adolescent terror.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            At that same moment at the picnic in front of the Grey House, Merriman Lyon closed his eyes and sighed sharply, as if he had sensed something terrible.  _Old One, what are you doing? _ He demanded to Will in his mind.

            No reply.

The Drews were engaging in a nice match of cricket with Bill Stanton as Captain Toms watched from a chair beneath the trees.  

            "Barnabus Drew, you are a cheat and a liar!" hollered Simon, tackling his considerably younger brother onto the ground.  Barney had just discreetly thrown the cricket ball rather than hitting it, and Simon Drew did not lose to a cheater.

            Captain Toms looked over at Merriman, after seeing the same vision.  _What are YOU going to do about this one, Merry?  _he inquired of Merriman.  _He's only a boy, after all._

_            He is an Old One, first and forever, _Merriman snapped back.  _He has no time for love, particularly not with Jane Drew, who happens to be one of the Six AND my grand-niece!_

Captain Toms chuckled.  _Getting a little bit like a father on the first date of his daughter, Merry.  Will Stanton is harmless, and it's harmless for him to fall in love._

_            I hate to do this, _Merriman answered.  _But Will needs to focus on fighting the Dark, not falling in love!  And if I can't magic him, then I shall have to rely on good, old-fashioned non-magic spell.  _ He stood up.  "Boys, where did Jane run off to?"

            Barney stood up and brushed some grass out of his blond hair.  "She said she was going for a walk…jeez that was close to an hour ago.  Would you like me to go find her, Gumerry?"

            "No, you can stay here and help me clean up the picnic." Merriman sighed.  "I'd much prefer Simon to go out and fetch her."

            _Simon! _Cried Captain Toms.  _Merry, he's itching for any reason to go after Will Stanton!  Don't throw poor Will to the wolves!  If Simon sees him within an inch of his sister—_

"Okay," said Simon.  "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

            "The cottages," answered Captain Toms desperately, attempting to buy Will and Jane some time.

            Merriman glared at Captain Toms, such a glare that propelled the captain to sit down in his seat like a bad toddler, looking ashamed.  "I think she may be down by the cliff where they made the Greenwitch, you know, saying goodbye."

            _Send Barney.  Perhaps he'll just scare them and make them nervous…_

Captain Toms' efforts fell on deaf ears.  Merriman wordlessly cleaned up the picnic with Barney, while Simon, the Merry's hired thug, went out in search of his sister.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            The embrace was long and warm, neither of them letting go until they absolutely had to.  Jane leaned back and looked at Will, studying his features.  "Will you come to see me in London?"

            "Of course I will," he replied, grinning.  "We can battle the Dark in front of Buckingham Palace."

            Jane smiled. "And will you write me?"

            "As often as I can.  I'll write all of you."

            "I just don't want this to be it, you know?" Jane stammered, turning away from him.  "I don't want this to be the last time I ever…"  She stopped for fear of sounding like an idiot.

            Will sighed.  "Jane, I've stood in the face of the Dark.  I've seen the raising of fear, the killing of love…and I haven't even been frightened.  But I am so scared for what I'm about to do that the Dark could rise right now and this would still be my number one fear."

            Before Jane could even question whatever he was speaking of, Will gently placed his lips on Jane's.  Jane stood frozen, not entirely knowing what to do.  She'd never kissed a boy in her life.  After a few seconds, Will stepped back and sighed.  "Well.  I did it and I'm STILL nervous."

            They both laughed, the pressure off, but the start of something bigger looming on the horizon.

            And as a horrified Simon Drew watched from a rock about ten yards away, it became clear that Will Stanton's problems were just beginning. 


	2. Dark Gifts

            "Easy, easy," Mrs. Penhallow cooed as she lifted the ice off of Will's face.  "There.  It's black and blue, but at least it won't swell.  Imagine, a branch swinging down and knocking you right in the eye."  She tsked and dumped the bag of ice out in the sink.

            Will looked at himself in the mirror and groaned.  He had a nice shiner, all right, and it was due to a branch named Simon Drew.  Will closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened.  He was standing there with Jane when Simon rushed up to them, screaming and waving his fists in the air.  Will tried to calm him down, and Simon responded with a blow to the face.  Jane cried out and tried to pick Will up off the ground, but Simon grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the beach.  Will had told the story of the branch to avoid any further inquiries.

            "Will, I'm just going to step outside and see if Professor Lyon needs any help cleaning up, will you be alright?"  Mrs. Penhallow hovered over him like a mother hen, touching his eye lightly and tsking under her breath.  "What a temper he's got, that Simon Drew," she whispered, and winked.

            Will blinked.  "Yes," was the only thing he could think of.  Mrs. Penhallow must have seen Simon dragging Jane back.  "He certainly does."

            Mrs. Penhallow grinned and exited the Grey House.  Will sighed and stood, peeking out the window to find Jane.  They certainly had a lot to talk about.

            "Sit down, Will."  

            Will didn't even have to look; he knew it would be Merriman standing there.  He automatically sat down still facing the window and searching for the brown ponytail.  And he found her, sitting miserably in a chair while Simon stood behind her, talking and pacing back and forth angrily, every now and then throwing his hands up in the air in a what-were-you-thinking fashion.  All the while, Barney hopped around the chair, obviously demanding to know what had happened.

            "For someone so wise, you have begun something foolish," Merriman continued, drawing the shade and hiding Jane from Will's sight.  "What happened to your judgment, Old One?"  Merriman sat down in the chair a few feet from Will and cleared his throat, signaling Will to turn around and reply.

            Will bit his lower lip and turned the chair around to face Merriman.  "I just…I like her so much, Merriman.  She's been jolly nice to me even when her brothers weren't.  She's clever too, she helped find the grail.  And she's got a caring nature; she even made that wish for the Greenwitch.  And I just…I'd like to get to know her better, is all.  Talk to her outside of the battles.  Away from Light and Dark and greenwitches and grails and her brothers."  Merriman had this way of making Will feel submissive, and it showed in his speech.

            Merriman listened to all of this and leaned forward.  "And what then?  Say you get to know her and decide you LOVE her.  What then?"

            A sudden courage overcame Will.  "Why, then I'd take her somewhere nice. And I'd ask her to marry me, I suppose.  That's what you do when you're in love."

            "And you'd make a nice life for her?  A nice little cottage by the sea, with no Light and Dark.  Just you and Jane—Mr. and Mrs. Will Stanton."  Merriman was being extremely sweet in his description.  "And you'd have children, of course."

            "Of course." Will began to distrust what Merriman was saying.  "And I'd send them to Oxford."

            "And you'd get old together."  

            Will suddenly realized where Merriman was going with his tirade.  The energy drained out of him and his face turned pale.  "Y-yes."

            "Only you wouldn't grow old, Will," snapped Merriman.  "Jane would though.  She'd become old and crippled while you remained ageless and vibrant.  You'd have to take care of her while she aged.  And then one day, god forbid, you'd have to watch her die.  And then you would live for all eternity ALONE without her.  The grief would be too much and you would have to live with it!"  Merriman stood up and got very close to Will.

            "Stop," Will said weakly.

            "I do not say these things to hurt you," insisted Merriman, taking on a gentler tone.  "But you're task in life is an Old One.  You remain ageless to fight the battle between the Light and the Dark, which, I am sorry to say, does not stop for young love."

            Will stood up.  "Well, perhaps it should!" he exclaimed.  "It's not fair, Merriman!  I care about her!"  He lifted the shade and saw that Jane had gotten up out of her chair and was crying, with Simon's arms around her shoulders and Barney's around her waist, both brothers hugging and comforting her.

            "Other people care for her too," said Merriman softly.  "Simon did not act thusly today because of sheer hatred.  Both of those boys out there would give their left arms for Jane.  I, also, love her dearly, though I may not show it."  Merriman gently reached out and pulled down the shade.  "Do you understand?"

            Will swallowed and felt his eyes getting wet.  "This gift…it's more like a—"

            "A curse," chuckled Merriman.  "I know, I know.  It's hard to watch our loved ones grow old and die, and be forced to live with the grief.  I myself have seen many a wonderful person put into the ground."

            "But she's part of the Six," Will protested.  "Doesn't that mean anything?"

            "She's still a mortal," Merriman said, the edge back on his voice, replacing the reassuring tone.  "So I expect you to tell her today that you shall not be seeing her again.  If you have to use cruelty then I suggest you do it.  Jane is a strong girl, she will move on and the battle will continue.  You will see each other again someday, however, so it's not a permanent goodbye.  Say farewell, and do not answer her letters or go to see her."

            Will whimpered as a tear spilled over his cheek.  "Merriman, please."

            "Say farewell," Merriman repeated firmly.  "I'll send her in shortly.  The train leaves in an hour, so be ready."

            As Merriman walked out of the room, Will collapsed into a chair and buried his face into his hands, and for about the millionth time in the past year—he wished he had never been given such a dark gift.

                        *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            Jane peered into the room a few moments later.  "Oh, darling!" she cried out when she saw his eye.  She ran to him and touched it gently with her fingers.  "It doesn't hurt much, does it?"

            "No," said Will, lightly pushing her hand away from his face.  "It just looks dreadful.  Mrs. Penhallow said it should go away in a few days."

            "Thank goodness," said Jane brightly.  "Listen, I've just talked to Simon and he seems a bit sorry for hitting you like he did, and maybe he'll apologize.  I'm sure he'll learn to like you, Will, I know my mother and father will—"

            "I won't be meeting your mother and father."  Will stood up abruptly and stalked over to the window, his hands shaking fiercely and his mind screaming at him to stop.  _I must be cruel; it is the only way she'll understand…_

            Jane blinked and stood up.  "Of course you will, in London.  There's no need to be afraid, they're absolutely wonderf—"

            "Stop it, Jane!"  Will snapped, gripping the windowsill.  _I just need to make her hate me…that will make this so much easier…I can't hold out much longer…_  

            "Will?" Jane said meekly.  "Is something wrong?  Are you not feeling well?  Did Simon hit you very hard?"  She crept up behind him and laid her hands gently on his shoulders.  "Tell me."

            Will shook her off violently.  "Yes, something's wrong!  I won't be visiting you in London or writing you letters!  We have one job to do and that is to fight the Dark.  We will communicate only when the Light needs all Six of us, other than that we lead separate lives!"

            Jane looked taken aback, her face pale and lips quivering.  "On the beach you said—"

            "Forget what I said!" roared Will, his heart pounding and the urge to cry rising in him.  He was not a cruel person by any means, and this charade was making him feel terrible.  "It was a load of rubbish, and so was that kiss!"

            Jane gasped, and tears sprung to her eyes.  "I—I don't understand!"

            "How could you understand?"  Will hollered, knocking some books off the table for added effect.  "You're nothing but a stupid, silly mortal girl!  You think because you were standing there when your brothers found the grail that you're a part of that.  And because you made friends with a bundle of weeds and rowan makes you such a big-hearted person.  You don't understand ANYTHING!"

            As soon as these words were out, Will was filled with so much remorse he thought he would burst.  Jane stood there, wounded, as tears drifted down her face into tiny splatters on the floor.

            "I don't understand anything?" she said softly.  "Well, I understand that although you're an Old One with infinite wisdom—underneath it all you're nothing but a mean-hearted and cruel boy."

            "Jane," he croaked out, reaching for her hand.

            She pulled away angrily.  "Perhaps I didn't find the grail directly.  And perhaps I did make friends with the Greenwitch.  And perhaps I was fooled into thinking an Old One actually cared about me.  Well I am ignorant, aren't I?  Why, I wish Simon had bashed your wicked head on a rock, Will Stanton!"

            "Please…"  Will approached her, speechless and searching for words.

            "I may be a mortal, and not have as much knowledge as you," she went on coldly.  "But I do know this.  I never want to see you again, Will Stanton."  She choked on the last few words and turned and ran as fast as she could out of the Grey House and into the waiting car to take them to the train.

            Will felt like someone had hit him in the stomach with a golf club.  "I'm sorry."  The words he had been struggling to get out for the past few minutes filled and echoed in the empty room.

            _You did the right thing, Old One._

            Will ignored Merriman.

                        *          *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            On the train, Will sat in a chamber by himself.  He was supposed to share with Simon and Barney, but Jane had gotten to them before Will could, and the Drews preferred to keep their sister company, cramped into one little chamber.  Trees turned to green blurs as Will stared out the window.  He was sure he'd been staring for hours when he looked at his watch.

            "Fifteen minutes!" he groaned.  

            He looked over to see if the Jane's chamber door was opened.  It wasn't, and it stayed shut for the whole ride to London.  Will sighed and dozed off slightly, awakened hours later by the conductor making his rounds.

            "WE'VE BEEN DOCKED IN LONDON FOR TEN MINUTES!" he cried, ringing his bell into Will's chamber.

            Will sat up, startled.  "Oh!"  He looked over at Jane's chamber.

            It was empty. 

            Jane Drew and her brothers were gone.


	3. The Return

            The years passed.  Spring's gentility grew into summer's intensity, followed by autumn's crispness and winter's rage.  

            A crumpled bunch of letters filled and surrounded Will Stanton's wastebasket for that first year.  On each was penned, "Dear Jane", followed by a weak greeting, then a frustrated series of scribbles, the last thing written before Will lost his patience and crushed the paper.  He got the courage to send one, written in red ink and containing a desperate apology. It came back to the Stanton home with a big RETURN TO SENDER stamped on it, and when Will went to add more postage and check the address, he noticed a message scrawled on the back.

            _You know better, Old One._

Will cursed Merriman silently and threw the last letter he would write into the garbage.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      

            "Slow down!"  yelled Jane as her brothers flew up the hill ahead of her.  She was struggling to keep up for about a minute before she realized the stupidity of it all and slowed down to her own pace.  As the departing figures of her brothers disappeared over the horizon, Jane sighed and began to take in the scenery around her.  The beautiful view was absolutely breathtaking; the forest was so green, and the pond was so clear—Jane believed she had been given her very own piece of heaven to optically feast on.

            Jane had certainly not lost her romantic side.  She was now an 18-year-old girl, and although she had the acquired adult tendencies, she was charmingly awkward, proof that Jane Drew hadn't changed.  Simon, a strapping boy of 18 (he was only eleven months older than Jane and due for a birthday), had changed from a pompous boy that no one listened to into a pompous older boy that no one listened to.  Barney, at 13 years old, was taller and less energetic than his former childhood self.  But Jane, aside from physical changes, was still Jane.

            Continuing up the hill, Jane stopped when she heard the solid and steady sound of a horn.  It was loud and clear, an auditory beckoning that bade her to come closer.  Gathering her wits about her, Jane walked slowly and suspiciously over rocks and grass to get to the top of the hill.  

            Breathless and exhausted, Jane finally reached the top.  The blower of the horn had his back to her, but she recognized him immediately before he turned around to face her.

            "Hello, Jane Drew," said Will, his heart beating in his ears.  She looked beautiful because she was the same.  Yes, she had grown into a young woman, but her heart and soul—that was the same.  She glowed to Will like a beacon, and he wanted to just hug her so tightly that nothing could get between them.

            Jane's mouth opened, closed, opened, closed, and finally opened again.  "You…" she whispered.  "You're here."  Her brown eyes blinked in incredulous disbelief.  She had not seen Will Stanton for three years.  Three years of checking the mailbox and having letter after letter she wrote be returned by an unknown source that she had assumed to be Will himself.  In three years she had grown up to be a young lady, but it would be a lie to say she never thought of Will Stanton, or that she wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him right now.   _Be angry with him.  Be hateful; be just plain awful to him Jane._  Her bitterness won over and she clenched her teeth together.  "So THAT'S why we're here.  Some sort of battle.  Great.  Wonderful."  

            Her words stung Will.  _She's not the least bit happy to see me. _"Yes.  The last and hardest battle lies ahead of us."  But in his gut Will knew that the hardest battle wouldn't be between the Light and the Dark.  He turned around and headed towards the bottom of the hill, with Jane behind him, trailing a good ten feet.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            "So let me get this straight," Simon said icily.  "You and this BOY show up out of nowhere, tell us to follow you into parts unknown, and just expect us to say 'Smashing idea, Will, let me get my crossbow'?"  

            "No," replied Bran sharply.  "We don't expect you to do a damn thing.  But the Light does."

            Simon had taken his regular place as spokesperson for the Drew family, and was doing the best he could to state a proper case, one that left him with the upper hand.  It wasn't working.  "We don't even KNOW you, Bran," he snapped back coldly.  "And besides, Jane wouldn't follow Will Stanton to heaven, much less some desolate mountain!"

            Jane gasped with embarrassment and surprise, turning her blushing face away.  "Simon!"  

"Well that's certainly true."  Barney stood next to Simon, a little version of his older brother.

            Will felt an overwhelming sense of shame and hung his head.  "As well she shouldn't," he muttered half to himself, half to Bran.

            Looking confused, Bran glanced back and forth between Jane and Will.  "Did something happen between you two or does Jane just hate boys?"  He laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

            "Never mind that," said Simon with authority.  "Where is Merriman?"

            "We'll meet him eventually," Bran replied with contempt, making his feelings about Simon more than obvious.  He looked at Jane, facing the other way.  "I hope we can leave our little pathetic crushes down here."

            Will saw Jane wince with that remark, and he longed to tackle Bran to the ground and shake him.  "None of that, Bran," he said through clenched teeth.  "Let's just go."

            As they walked up the hill, the Drews kept their distance.  Will randomly kept looking back at them, and saw Jane walk slowly with her head down, while Simon pointed at the scenery and made up names to sound smart.  Barney was boredly listening to his brother and taking in the scenery on his own.  

            "Wake up, Old One!"  Bran cried, waving his hand in front of Will's face.  "What is with you?"

            Will blinked. "Nothing.  Nothing at all."  He continued across the terrain, forcing himself to not look back at the Drews.  "Just remembering what they looked like. It's been three years you know."

            Bran sighed.  "What happened with Jane and you?  And don't you dare tell me that nothing happened, because you and her look at each other like sick dogs."

            "Charming analogy," Will replied.  "And if you must know, Jane and I sort of liked each other in Trewissick, and we wanted to make it something more, but things got in the way."  _MERRIMAN got in the way.  The Light got in the way.  Everything that should have happened DIDN'T because the Light and Merriman ruined it._

Bran nodded right away.  "Understood, Old One.  She is just a girl, after all."

            Will repeated that statement in his head over and over and over.  It didn't make any more sense the thirtieth time than it did the first time.


	4. Hope Springs Eternal

            After what to Will seemed like an endless day, they finally met up with Merriman at his lodging.  During the course of the awful trip, Jane and Bran fought, Jane received the message from the Lady, and was consequently scared out of her wits by the afanc, Barney cut his leg, Simon complained, Jane said no more than two words to Will, and Bran decided that Jane wasn't so bad after all and maybe he DID like her.  And Simon complained some more.  

            Merriman seemed to vanquish all of their petty problems with his presence alone.  After hugging his niece and nephews (during which he seemed to embrace Jane tightly and warmly, much longer than the others), he greeted Will and Bran.  "Greetings, Old One and Pendragon," he said grimly.  "I'm glad you've finally arrived.  We have some serious business to attend to."

            The Drews obediently sat down on the sofa, Simon squeezing himself in just so he wouldn't have to sit near Will or Bran.  Their eyes were wide with questioning, and Will noticed that Jane's hands were trembling.  She was still in shock from the afanc.

            A wave of jealousy hit Will like a nuclear blast.  He gritted his teeth and tried to forget that it was BRAN who saved Jane from the afanc and not himself.  Jane looked into Bran's eyes and thanked him.  Will could have sworn that Bran got flustered and nervous around Jane, a sure sign that—

            "Wake up, Will!"  exclaimed Bran.  "Merriman is talking!"

            Merriman looked slightly annoyed.  "I was saying, that there is the annual Aberdyfi ball tomorrow night.  And I have it on good authority that many Dark forces will be attending in their usual guises.  Seeing as we have little to no information on what their next move is going to be, I suggest we send a few of you to investigate."

            Simon cleared his throat.  "I'd be glad to go."

            "Me too!" chirped Barney.

            Bran grinned.  "I'm not much of a dancer, but hey, I'll go."

            Jane stared at her lap.  "I don't normally feel comfortable at those things.  I can't really dance and I hate dressing up, so I'll stay here."

            "I will decline as well," added Will quickly.  If everyone went to the ball except he and Jane, that would give him time to talk to her, maybe get her to open up to him a little so he could explain himself.

            Merriman sighed.  "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jane my dear, but you have to go.  I can't very well have Will the watchman escort Barney in a gown, could I?"

            The silence in the room was deafening.  Will's heart was pounding in his chest so hard he thought it was about to come flying out.  Jane looked like someone had pinched her as hard as they could; a look of pained anguished and hurt shock covered her face.  Bran's eyes were so wide they looked like saucers. Barney looked disappointed that he couldn't go to the ball, but otherwise the announcement had no effect.  Simon, however, looked furious.

            "Are you suggesting that Will and Jane attend the ball…together?"  Bran was the first to find his voice.  "Are you sure that's wise, Merriman?"

            Merriman looked over at Bran.  "Of course I am.  Jane is the Lady's messenger, so any signals from the Lady will be picked up by her, and Will has the ability to survey the situation.  I am not sending them to have a capital time.  They are going on business of the Light."

            "Don't you think it better to send Bran?"  said Barney meekly.  "To sort of stretch his wings when it comes to Battles and stuff?" The main issue was being skirted around by everyone, like a patch of thin ice on a frozen lake.  You could skate around it all day long, but eventually someone was going to fall through the cracks.

            And not surprisingly, it was Simon.

            "Now see here, Gumerry," he said with a pompous air, which rather amused Merriman more than intimidate him.  "Despite the battle, Jane has feelings.  And I believe that you should consult her on this scenario before you commit her to anything!"

            "Very well," replied Merriman, stifling a smile. "Jane?"

            Jane looked up from her hands.  "I'll do it."

            "You see, she doesn't want to—JANE!"  Simon cried out in shock.  "You aren't seriously considering going to a ball with—"

            "Oh, Simon do shut up!"  Jane snapped.  "You are so suspicious of everyone, and all you do is complain.  Just stop being such a jackass and understand that what's going on now is bigger than all of us!"  She clamped her eyes back on her lap after this outburst, and Simon looked so astonished.  Better yet, he was speechless.

            "Then it's decided," Merriman stated.  "Now, good night, my companions."

            _I'm trusting you, Old One._

_            Thank you._

*                      *                      *

            "Don't do anything stupid," said Bran as he watched Will get ready.  "I know you, Stanton.  Too well for your own good.  Don't be a stupid idiot tonight."

            Will finished tying his black tie.  He was uncomfortable in any sort of suit, and the tuxedo complete with tails that Merriman had lent him was no exception.  He struggled with the tie for ten minutes before conceding and letting Merriman do it.  "I won't, Bran, I promise you.  Have you seen my shoes?"  Will got to his knees and peered under the bed.

            "Over there," Bran sighed as he pointed to the corner.  "I shined them for you earlier, they looked dreadful."  Will got up and tied them on.

            "God, these things are uncomfortable!"  He stumbled around the room trying to get a feel for them.  

            Bran watched him.  "Will, you know when I say don't be a stupid idiot…I mean don't do anything—"

            "Stupid.  Yes, I know."

            "No you don't," Bran replied curtly.  "I see how Jane looks at you.  Don't do anything else to…make her look at you that way ever again."

            Will turned to face him.  "I thought you didn't even like Jane."

            Bran played with the fringe on a pillow.  "It's not a matter of my liking anyone.  It's a matter of decency, and you need to understand that she looks at you like…like you broke her heart.  And I can't stand to see her—I mean, anyone—that miserable."

            Will silently brushed his hair in the mirror.

            "SHE'S READY!"  yelled Barney from the downstairs parlor. 

            Will and Bran looked at each other, and suddenly both of them bolted for the door.  "Let me out first, I'm the escort!"  cried Will angrily.

            "I'm the innocent bystander!"  Bran shoved with all his might and made it out the door first, and nimbly flew down the stairs; with an angry and stumbling Will who had not yet been adjusted to his shoes behind him.  "I am going to beat you within an inch of your life, Bran Davies!"  Will was screaming as he tore after him.  "Oof!" he cried as he slammed right into Bran, who had stopped at the top of the stairs.  "What is your prob—"

            And there was Jane.  Usually uncomfortable and gawky Jane Drew had been transformed.  Her hair was freed from its usual ponytail into an elegant up do with brown tendrils hanging around her face.  Her face, one may add, had been made over to practically glow in the weak light.  She was wearing a beige colored empire waist dress with a baby blue waistline that circled right below her chest, and was held together in the back by an elaborate clasp made of silver and blue stones.  Will wondered what it could be like to touch the clasp.

            "Jenny,"  whispered Bran.  "You look absolutely beautiful."

            Jane blushed.  "I feel so stupid."  She shifted her feet uncomfortably, revealing dainty heels that elevated her height at least three inches.  "I just wish I could wear jeans."

            Merriman looked up at Will. "Well, come on, watchman.  It's time for you to resume your post."  Merriman handed a stupefied Will Jane's hand.  "Take good care of her."

            Will numbly took Jane's hand and gently laced it through his arm.  "Allow me."

            Jane gave him the first genuine look of appreciation in three years.  "Please don't let me fall down.  These heels are going to be the death of me.  Simon is so angry with me, he didn't even want to come out and see us off."  A look of melancholy crossed her face and she glanced at Simon's shut door.

            "Don't worry," Will croaked out.  "Everything will be all right."

            *                      *                      *                      


	5. The Ball

            The weather outside was dark and chilly; Will wondered if he should offer Jane his coat.  But then again, she probably would freeze before she took his charity.  He held her hand tightly in his, as if to prevent her escape from him.

            At his sudden tightening, Jane glanced over at him.  "Are you all right, Will?" she asked nonchalantly, as if she didn't care what his answer was and the question was posed out of sheer English good manners.  

            Will blinked and loosened his grip.  "Fine," he croaked out.  "I just am cold.  And worried that the Dark is ready for us coming to this thing."  Will turned his head to face the opposite direction.  "And the fact that my escort would rather swallow broken glass than be within ten feet of me."

            Either Jane didn't hear the last statement, or chose to ignore it, because she rambled on anyhow. "I'm just concerned that Simon is angry with me.  And the fact that the Dark MIGHT be there waiting for us is a bit of a worry I have as well."  She laughed softly and genuinely, with a slight trace of nervousness.  

            Will felt her hand tighten around his.

                        *                      *                      *                      *

            The piano and strings were lively, and Will cringed at the thought of dancing.  He was never very good at it, and any extra attention drawn on the klutz falling all over the dance floor wouldn't be very good for the Light's case.  So he decided to play incognito and just observe.  Play it cool.  He practiced his lurk while Jane was in the powder room.  He slipped and slunk around in the side hall, flattening up against walls and slinking around like a spy.

            "What are you doing?" Jane asked him when she came out of the room.

            Will pushed himself away from the wall and ignored his blushing cheeks.  "Just…surveying the situation."

            Jane stared at him for a moment.  "Oh.  Shall we go in to the ball now?  At least for a few minutes, then you can come back out here, 007."  She smiled and held out her hand.

            "Oh, well, you see, I was just…" Will stammered then sighed.  "Yes, let's go in."

            The hall itself was huge and circular, decorated in a Neoclassic French fashion, the types of halls Will remembered seeing in movies about Louis and Marie Antoinette.  Will scanned the dancers carefully as they bumped and twirled their way around the dance floor.  Strange how they could dance, and Will had trouble even snapping his fingers.  He supposed that some people were just born with rhythm.  A sudden rumble of thunder from outside startled him and brought him out of his thoughts.

            "Excuse me," said a dark, booming voice.

            Will and Jane turned around to see a tall boy, around the same age, with black hair, pale skin and piercing blue eyes.  He was very attractive, and clothed in a completely black tuxedo with a light grey tie.  Jane's mouth dropped open and she made an nearly inaudible squeak.  She was clearly impressed. 

            Will, however, was not.

            "Yes?" he said, standing plaintively in front of Jane like a little boy who snatches a toy up and declares, "MINE."

            The boy smiled slightly.  "I was just wondering if I could borrow your lovely escort for the next waltz.  I simply haven't been able to take my eyes off her since you walked in."  He offered out his arm, and Will resisted the urge to slap it away. "May I?"

            "Actually," Will began, "we were just about to—"

            "Of course," said Jane quickly, offering out her arm to the boy.  "I would love to waltz.  I'll be back in a while, Will."

            With that, they flounced away to the center of the dance floor, leaving Will speechless.  Ignoring the surge of jealousy and anger rising up inside him, Will moodily sat in a chaise lounge and stared at them hotly.

            The boy held Jane gently by the hand and around the waist, and they seemed to float around the dance floor.  She was looking into his eyes with such admired intensity, and he was bestowing the same courtesy.  Jane felt butterflies in her stomach as he led her around the beautiful room, spinning her gently under the chandelier.  Her eyes caught a glance at Will every moment or two, and her heart softened at his round face.  But it hardened again with every twirl that took him out of sight.

            "You seem taken with your companion," the boy mentioned, breaking Jane's reverie.  He looked over at Will with an element of disgust.  "He seems hardly worth your time."

            Jane dropped her eyes to the ground, not knowing what to say.  "He's made mistakes."

            The boy tipped her chin up.  "Well in life I learned that you have to pay for your mistakes.  Shall we make him a bit more jealous?"

            Before Jane could answer, the boy pressed his lips gently against hers.  But as soon as they touched, Jane's entire body froze and the room stopped moving around her.  Panicking, she opened her eyes and saw that the entire room was dark with the exception of her and the boy.  She tried to move, but found herself paralyzed.

            In her mind, the all too familiar voice screamed at her, "TELL ME WHAT THE LADY TOLD YOU, JANE!"

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            "Oh, would you look at that," tsked an old man by the punch bowl.  "You think that children that young would have some shame."

            Will, who had been downing cups of punch in hopes of getting drunk and forgetting this entire disaster, looked up to see where they old man was pointing.

            There was Jane and the boy, locked in a kiss in the middle of the dance floor.  Will dropped his punch glass, and it landed with a shatter on the ground.  His hands began to shake uncontrollably.  How could she kiss a boy she barely knew?  She had to have done it to get him jealous!

            "I'll be damned if I'm going to sit here and take this," he huffed to himself.  Right before he turned to leave, a bolt of lightning from outside lit up the room.  For a split second, Will saw into the boy.  It was not a boy at all.  It was the White Rider.

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            "Tell me Jane, or I'll have to do something horrible," the White Rider cooed sweetly, keeping his voice steady in Jane's head.

            "No!" her mind hollered back at him in a desperate cry.  "I won't tell you!"

            "I hope you're not trying to protect Will Stanton," the White Rider said, an edge to his formerly gentle tone.  "Because he doesn't even care about you.  He took your affections for him and tossed them away.  He doesn't love you,  Jane, and he never will.  But the wonderful boy you're kissing, his real name is Luke O'Bronwyn.  I've only inhabited him for this night.  He could be your new love.  I could make it so, if only you would tell me…"

            "Never," whispered Jane tearfully.  

            Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light struck up the entire room and Jane's body went tumbling back into Will's waiting arms.  "I've got you, Jane," he whispered into her ear.  She was so weak that she couldn't even reply.  The last thing she remembered from that night was being carried out and the White Rider crying out, "Will Stanton, I shall blast you out of Time for this!  The Dark will prevail!"

            *                      *                      *                      *                      *                      *

            "Jane, please wake up," Will pleaded as he gently tapped her cheeks with his fingers.  She had been unconscious for nearly twenty minutes and Will was at his wit's end.  He'd laid her out on a garden bench outside the ball, and cast a spell over them so that no one else could see them there, including the White Rider.  "Jane, please."

            Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked hazily at Will.  She stared at him for a second or so before bursting into hysterical tears and throwing her arms around him.  "I was so scared," she stammered.  "He was making me tell about the Lady's message…I wouldn't.  He told me that you never loved me and I shouldn't bother trying to help you…but…. but…" She buried her face in Will's shoulder.

            Will held her tightly as she cried, and after a moment gently pulled her away.  The intense beating of his heart and the blood rushing through his body was overtaking his metaphysical senses.  " And did you believe him?"

            Jane swallowed and sniffled.  "Well, I know that you don't love me." She glanced over at the ocean, miles away.  "But I know that I love you no matter what happens, so I would never do anything that would hurt you."

            Her words incensed Will.  "You still love me?"

            She shakily got up and walked away from him.  "Of course I do.  It's foolish and I shouldn't, but I still love you.  I still think about you all the time, I still look at your old letters, and I still fall asleep wondering how you are…and if you ever think of me the same way.  But I know you don't so I might as well just forget you."  She turned her back on him and began to run her fingers on a growing rosebush.

            Will got up.  He didn't really understand what he was doing.  But he knew he had to do it.  He gently turned her around to face him.  "I do love you, Jane.  So much that it hurts sometimes.  And I'm going to kiss you now.  So, um, get ready."  

            And he did.  They were both nervous and Jane tried to push him away at first, but eventually she gave in.  When they parted lips, Jane stared at him for a long time, fresh tears building up in her eyes.  "How do I know you're not fooling me again?"

            "Jane I've had to pretend I didn't love you for 5 whole years, I don't think I could ever not love you."  He ran his hand through her loosed hair and smiled.  "And I hope you know that you're stuck with me forever now."

            Jane threw her arms around him again.  "Will Stanton," she cried out as he picked her up and spun her around, "I will love you until the day I die!"

            Will's heart froze when he heard her say that.  He tried to push it out of his mind as they walked back to the cottages, hand in hand.

            After they had vanished from sight, a rustle was heard in the bushes.  A dark figure with leaves stuck in his hair stood up and eyed the departing figures.

            "You bastard," Bran said angrily, swiping the leaves off his head.


	6. A Red Rose

            _Bran eyed the flower in Will's pocket.  "Ooooh!" he said in a mocking falsetto.  "A red rose, is it?"_

_            Will said amiably, "Get lost."_

_            "Not so pretty as Jane, the one that threw it."_

_            "As who?" Will said._

_            "Jane Drew.  Don't you think she's pretty, then?"_

_            "I suppose so, yes," Will said, surprised.  "I've never really thought about it."_

_            "That's one good thing about you.  You're uncomplicated."_

_                                                -**Silver On The Tree**_

****

            *                                                          *                                                          *

            After Jane and Will had made up, it seemed everyone's mood had become sullen.  Will woke up to breakfast each morning with a grim Simon, a grim-Simon-in-training (Barney), an icy Merriman who only spoke to him when absolutely necessary, and the worst part was Bran never spoke to him at all.  He even avoided eye contact.  Many a good glass of orange juice was spilled because Bran never looked Will in the eye when he passed it over to him.

            The entered the Lost Land three days after the ball.  After stonily wishing them luck, Merriman and the Drews turned quickly and left Bran and Will to their own devices to battle the Dark.  Jane alone blew Will a discreet kiss and waved affectionately to Bran, both gestures taken by both boys with extreme gratitude.  

            Will chattered mindlessly and attempted to make enough small talk to keep Bran saying something to him, but the other boy's only responses were either one-worded or a simple nod or shake of the head, or even an intelligible grunt.  

            It was only when they were leaving the village and a small girl had thrown Will a flower did Bran feel the need to address him.  

            "Not so pretty as Jane, the one that threw it," he muttered, staring at his horse's reins.

            Will was shocked at the sudden conversation that Bran was providing.  He tucked the rose into his pocket, waved to the girl, and quickly turned his attention back to Bran.  "What did you say?"

            Bran looked up at him icily.  "I said that the girl who threw the flower at you wasn't as pretty as Jane.  I was hoping you would agree with me."  He quickened his horse's pace.

            "Of course I agree with you!"  replied Will quickly, urging his horse forward.  "She has nothing on Jane at all."  While Will answered Bran, he wondered what had provoked his comment.  Of course the girl wasn't as pretty as Jane…but why would Bran feel the need to address it to him so coldly?  

            Bran snorted and stopped his horse so he could face Will.  "Of course she is.  No one is nearly as perfect as Jane Drew in your eyes, right Will?  You just love her so much.  So much that you're content to hurt her again and again.  So much that you'll garner all her affections so that she's fixed solely on you and no one else, then break her heart over and over.  But she'll always be hopelessly devoted to you.  Which is just how you want it."

            Then as sharply as he has stopped, Bran turned and urged his horse forward, leaving an astonished and speechless Will behind him.

*                                                          *                                                                      *

            Those were the last words that Bran said to Will.  They ventured through the Lost Land silently, each boy seething with his own rage at the other.  After returning with Erias, Bran wordlessly presented it to Merriman.  

            Merriman thanked Bran, but didn't say a word to Will before he exited the room, most likely to inspect Erias and probe its future use.  Bran turned on his heel and went outside, where the Drews were playing croquet.

            "Barnabas Drew," Simon was saying through clenched teeth.  "Jane and I have perfectly good eyesight."  Barney innocently dropped the ball that he was cunningly moving towards the right of the field.

            "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," he replied coolly, standing next to Jane.  

            Simon opened his mouth to lecture but saw Bran standing next to the tree, watching their game.  "Bran!" he cried.  "You made it back, splendid show, old man!"  He sounded like a 60 year old man and looked like one even more when he clapped Bran on the back with authority.  "I suppose Will Stanton made it back, as well," he sneered nastily.

            "Well, yes—" Bran began before Jane throwing her arms around him cut him off.  "Hey…" he said, laughing as he hugged her back.  "Be careful with me."

            "Careful!" huffed Jane as she embraced him.  "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you two?  It's not everyday that you see two people that you love sucked into a swirling vortex.  Did you get the sword?"

            Bran's head swirled.  Love?  Jane loved him?  Probably not as much as she loved Will Stanton, he decided bitterly.  "Yes…" he replied slowly.  "We got the sword.  Merriman is inspecting it now.  I suspect we'll have to go to the tree very soon.  So be prepared."  He shrank away from them.  "I'm going to go lay down for a bit.  See you at dinner."

            Bran walked away, leaving the confused Drews to their game.  He had a million feelings shooting through his mind and none of them cheery.  Jane Drew was just a silly mortal girl.  He couldn't explain the tightness in his stomach whenever she came into a room, the red flush he would get to his white face whenever she smiled at him…and most importantly he couldn't explain the rage that rose up in him whenever he thought about Jane and Will together.

            Balling his hands up into fists, Bran swung a punch at a low-hanging branch and succeeded in scaring a group of angry robins out of their nest.  Perfect Will Stanton.  It's not enough that he's lucky enough to be an Old One and have the admiration of the entire Circle of Light, but he also lived a normal life with a normal family.  Bran was just a stupid freak orphan who only had a faux father figure.  Surely Bran adored Owen Davies, but it wasn't the same.  Bran was teased all his life for having a slut mother who dropped him with Owen, and he was constantly harassed for his different appearance.  His life was absolutely pointless and meaningless until he found out his true heritage.  And even then Will Stanton overshadowed him.

            Now Will Stanton was taking the only girl Bran could have ever cared about.

            Granted he didn't know Jane Drew all that well.  But what he knew he liked.  After their initial falling out when they first met, Jane was nothing but jovial and kind to him.  She never pointed out his difference from other people and always treated him like a unique individual.  She was pretty to boot, not exactly a supermodel but lovely to look at just the same.  Bran could see himself marrying her.  He could give her a good life, a nice farm life in Wales where they could make a family.  And most importantly, grow old together.  That, Bran thought maliciously, Will Stanton could never ever provide her.

            But why would Jane Drew want a nice life with Bran Davies when she could get her heart broken by Will over and over?  Then she'll just up and die on him and he can go on with his charmed life of saving the world.  Bran had been punching at the branch for so long that the leaves had fallen off and made a neat pile.  

            "Bran?"

            The albino boy turned around to see Will standing there, watching him attack the tree.  Feeling stupid, he shoved his hands into his pockets.  "What?" he answered tonelessly. 

            "I want to talk to you," Will said quietly, stepping forward.  "You've been avoiding me for nearly a week now, and when we were in the Lost Land you would have just assumed step on my face as look at me.  What's the matter with you?"  He touched Bran's shoulder.

            Bran angrily swiped his hand off. "Don't touch me."  He began to walk briskly away.  He wouldn't justify himself to anyone right now, let alone Will Stanton, the very person he was raging at.

            Will caught up with him and grabbed his arm.  "Tell me what I did to you, Bran.  I won't leave you alone until you fess up."

            Silence reigned as Bran kept his back to Will and Will kept his grip on Bran's arm.  Slowly, the blond turned around.  "You want to know?  Fine.  I was outside in the bushes the night of the ball.  I saw you win Jane back over.  I saw everything.  I saw the way she looked at you and the way she smiled.  You're promising her the world and you can't give it to her."

            Will released him.  "That's what's bothering you?  Jane and I?  Why?  You hated Jane when you first met her!"

            "Well, I don't hate her now!"  Bran snapped, adjusting his glasses.  "In fact, I liked her company very much.  But it doesn't matter what I want, because the great Will Stanton always gets what his heart desires, even though getting it will ruin an innocent girl not to mention his own life!"

            Will's eyebrows were so high that they almost reached his hairline.  "You…have a crush on Jane?  You've wanted Jane all this time?  Bran, how the hell was I supposed to know that?"

            "I don't know!"  yelled Bran.  "But the point is you're going to just hurt her when you have to let her go, or she's going to hurt you when she dies, and either way Merriman will hate you and the Light's cause will just go down the crapper!  But you don't care, because she's just another conquest!"  To accentuate this point, Bran sharply pushed Will on his shoulder, sending the dark haired boy a few steps back.

            Will stumbled, and clenched his hands so tightly that the knuckles turned white.  "I don't know what you think you're talking about, Bran Davies.  I love Jane Drew very much.  More than you think I do.  She's not just a conquest to me; she's more than that.  I've loved her for so long and I can't even show it in public because either her brother will pummel me or Merriman will lecture me.  So don't feed me your sob story about how your life has always been a meaningless misery and if you could only take Jane away from me everything would work out for you. And how I've overshadowed you for the past three years and how I don't deserve a single thing I get because I didn't suffer for it.  Just save it, Bran.  Because I don't want to hear it."  Will spat on the ground and turned around, finished with the conversation.

            "Well, you don't have to hear a bloody thing now," Bran roared as he dove on Will and tackled him to the ground.  

            The two boys exchanged punches and kicks and pulls, rolling around on the ground.  Through his blurry sight, Will saw Simon and Merriman rush outside and yank them apart.  Will tasted blood dripping from his nose into his mouth, and saw that Bran was nursing a black eye.  

            "Now, honestly boys, what on earth was that?"  Simon prattled like an ashamed father.  "We're supposed to be working toget—"

            "Work with that bloody wanker?!"  screamed Bran, struggling to get back into the fight.  "I'd rather die!"

            "Well I hope that you do it, and decrease the population AND my problems!"  hollered Will, fighting against Merriman's grasp.

            "ENOUGH!"  Merriman bellowed.  The struggling stopped and all the eyes were on Merriman.  He stared them down for a few moments.  "You two had best leave your problems down here.  We're leaving to go to the tree soon.  And for Merlin's sake, clean yourselves up."  He released Will and disgustedly walked into the cottage.

            "Well, you heard Merry," said Simon pompously.  "Let me find Jane to get you cleaned up.  She'll know exactly what to do."  Simon continued talking as he walked away into the cottage after Merriman, a nodding Barney not far behind.

            Will spat blood onto the ground and rested his hands against his knees.  When he looked up, Bran was staring coldly at him.

            "You heard him.  Clean yourself up.  You've got the play the hero again, don't you know?"  Bran shook his head at Will and walked towards the back porch, where a concerned Jane was calling him and Will to clean them up and probably ask why there was a fight in the first place.

            Will narrowed his eyes and followed.

-Sorry I took so long, but finals are such a bother!  This chapter is a little more in-depth, not like that monstrosity I posted last time…be kind with your reviews!


	7. The Tree

Disclaimer: Sweet lord in heaven…I actually made it!  These characters don't belong to me, obviously if they did…let's not think about that…

            "I want to know what happened between you and Bran."

            "It's not important."

            "How can you say that it's not important?  He barely speaks a word to you for nearly a week and next thing we all know you're attacking each other!"

            "I can say it's not important because it's not important."

            "He's your best friend, isn't he?"

            Will snorted and rolled over on the blanket to face Jane.  She'd been bothering him all the rest of the day to find out what had caused the fight.  The creases of her frown were about to become permanent as she stared at Will.  "Best friend?" he repeated incredulously, resting his head on Jane's lap as she leaned against the tree.  "That best bud of mine nearly broke my nose."

            Jane sighed impatiently.  "Will, just tell me what happened.  Did something happen in the Lost Land?"  She ran her fingers tenderly over the bruise Will had on his round cheek, courtesy of Bran's left hand.  

            _I don't think you want to know, _Will said to himself.  _I don't think you want to know that Bran predestined you to be his wife because you were the first girl to NOT be a beast to him.  I don't think you want to know that he thinks I overshadow him in every possible aspect of life.  _"We had a disagreement, that's all.  Really," Will insisted, twining his fingers in the green grass. "He was wrong, and he didn't own up to it…so I was forced to physically make him."

            "Oh, please!" cried Jane, trying to hide her amused smile.  "You talk like you're some sort of ultimate fighter.  But seriously, you need to talk to him.  How are you supposed to finish this whole thing if you can't even talk to each other?"

            "See, I've figured that out, too!"  Will sat up and faced Jane.  "I've been working on some basic sign language."  He made some crazy motions with his fingers and hands.

            "I see," replied Jane, watching him.  "What does that mean, what you just did?"

            "Well, it means 'jumping llamas'.  I've only been working on this for a short time, you know," Will grumbled.  Jane tumbled over laughing.  "If it's any consolation, I can say 'sheep', 'cheese', and 'where is your bathroom'!" he added fiercely.

            Tears were streaming down Jane's face as she rolled around on the blanket; laughing so hard she was gasping for breath.  "Llamas…sheep…. bathroom," she sputtered, before she fell into the fit of giggles.  She stopped when she saw Will's pout.  "I'm sorry," she snickered. "Do some more."

            "No!" Will exclaimed, crossing his arms.

            "Please?  Come on.  You're REALLY good."  She poked his ticklish side.

            Will smiled.  "Okay."  He made three quick motions with his hands and slid his arm around Jane.  "That means I love you."

            "Awww," Jane cooed as she hugged Will back.  She didn't have the heart to tell him that he just signed to her that 'the bus is late'.

            *                                                          *                                                          *

            They began their journey to the tree the next morning.  Merriman stalked ahead in front, flanked by Simon and Barney, with Jane and Will immediately behind.  Bran walked leagues behind them all, Erias safely sheathed in his possession.  

            Merriman, like Jane, had grown annoyed with the constant silence between Will and Bran.  The night before he had forced them to sit on the couch in the cottage for a lecture.

            _"I told you, Old One.  I told you not to do this, but you have done it anyway.  You've done a headstrong and irrational thing.  You're going to break your own heart, and the heart of someone innocent.  I'm not going to do anything to improve or deteriorate this situation.  It is all yours now.  The consequences you suffer will be yours and yours alone.  But this is not why I have asked you to come here."_

_            Merriman crossed the room and sat in the chair adjacent to the couch.  "Pendragon.  I don't know what your rage towards Will is or the magnitude of it.  A fight between the two of you is inexcusable."  _

_Bran stared down at his hands.  "My anger isn't irrational or headstrong," he answered quietly, using the same description Merriman had used on Will's actions, just another way to separate Will and himself.  "I, too, am concerned for the welfare of the Light and Jane Drew.  Perhaps even more than anyone.  You know that I will dedicate every fiber of my being to this cause, do any task to assist the Light.  My anger at Will will not interfere with my allegiance, or my willingness.  But I will not relinquish it.  I will harbor my anger until it has faded on its own."_

_The silence in the room made Will's heart pound.  Merriman cleared his throat.  "I cannot dictate what emotions you have.  I only ask that you control these emotions so they don't avert you from your task.  This is the most I can ask from you.  Old One?"_

_Will clenched his fists at his sides.  "I will control my emotions for the good of the Light.  I only ask that Jane never be informed of a quarrel or its details.  It's unnecessary for her to know, and while we can control our emotions, I fear she cannot."_

_"So this DOES have something to do with Jane, then?"  Merriman said, very irritated with this news.  "Very well, the Drews will not be informed of a fight so long as you don't give them cause to inquire."  Merriman stood up.  "That is all.  Tomorrow morning we leave for the tree.  Be ready."_

Will remembered the events of the night before and immediately wondered why Merriman took the extra time to lecture him personally.  Perhaps he thought if he drilled _Stay away from my niece_ enough times into Will's brain, it would happen.  There's a thought…does he want me to stay away from Jane because it will avert my cause away from the Light?  Or is it because she's his niece and he's playing the role of the overprotective uncle?  Will couldn't really tell because Jane had MORE than enough people playing the overprotective relative.

Will's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden stop.  He looked up to see that everyone's eyes were attached to a huge tree with gnarly roots that twisted and bent intricate paths into the ground where they disappeared.  Jane clutched Will's hand and got closer to him.  "It's huge," she whispered.

And indeed it was.  The branches seemed to reach out for miles into the sky, and the round buds on the end of each branch suggested that it would be blossoming soon.  They went closer to inspect the tree, even Merriman looking impressed as he felt the trunk and ran his hands over the bark.  "Extraordinary," he said softly.  "Simply extraordinary."

"Look!" cried Simon, pointing to the bark on the bottom of the tree, in the back.  "It's the verse again!"  They all went to see, and sure enough, carved into the bark was the verse that they all had heard more times than they cared to remember.

_When the Dark comes rising, Six shall turn it back,_

_Three from the circle, three from the track,_

_Wood, bronze, iron, water, fire, stone…_

"I can't read the last line," said Barney staunchly.  "It's all carved up."

            "You know the last line," snapped Simon.  "We've all heard it a million times.  It's 'Five will return, and One go alone.'  But I wonder why it's all scratched up.  Any thoughts, Gumerry?"

            The five were staring at the tree trunk and when Merriman didn't reply, they turned and saw that he was staring, wide-eyed at the trunk.  His face had paled.  

            "Are you alright?" Jane shot up, alarmed.  "Gumerry, you're pale.  Do you need to sit?"

            "No, no," he insisted.  "I'm fine, Jane." He clapped his hands together.  "Now, let's get started.  Bran, the tree looks about ready, so be prepared to unsheathe Erias.  Simon, Jane, Barney, Will, come get the signs—"

            Merriman didn't even get the last part of his sentence out.  

            Then the Dark rose.

            Will immediately fell to the ground and grabbed one of the massive roots of the tree for support.  A horrible sucking sound, like the world was being enveloped into a black hole, was so tremendously loud that it hurt Will's ears.  The sky began to spiral into a heinous black shade, blotting out the sun and the clouds.  

            A horse whinnied loudly, and Will saw the Rider standing up beside the tree.  "Will Stanton," he hissed.  "I knew we'd meet again eventually."

            The immense wind stopped and Will got up quickly and turned to check on everyone else.  The Drews were shakily standing and clinging to each other, and Bran was covered in dirt and stood beside Merriman, stabilizing himself, and giving the Rider a determined look that let him know that Bran Davies couldn't be beaten.

            "Looks like it's about to bloom," remarked the Rider, taking out his sword and tapping the tree.  He noticed the verse.  "And I see the prophecy has been all carved up…how unfortunate for you, Merlion."  He chuckled.  

            Will began to mutter a spell to place protection over the Drews at least.  And Bran.  He and Merriman could perhaps escape from this unscathed, but the mortals barely stood a chance.  He glanced over at Merriman for assistance, but he was busy helping Bran.

            This is what it came down to now. A race.  Whoever was the quickest could cut the blossom off.  Powers barely mattered now.  This is down to sheer human skill.  The Rider versus Bran.  Will swallowed, fear overtaking his mind.  

            Suddenly, a bright stream of light peeked out from a blossom.  It was beginning to open.  

            For a time that reactions were everything and quickness was the key, Will noticed that everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion.  Bran struggled with Erias, trying to move forward to the tree.  The Drews clutched each other tightly as they watched with widened eyes.  Merriman stood back and watched carefully, but Will could see the panic in his eyes.  

            The Rider stepped forward, and Will reacted quickly, shoving him with all his might.  It was a silly thing to do, a smaller person pushing a bigger one, but it worked.  The Rider wasn't expecting it and stumbled back, giving Bran time to get to the blossom first.

            The Rider snarled at Will. "I told you that I would blast you out of time, Will Stanton, and allow me to make good on my promise!"  His eyes glowed as he raised his hand high up, and Will knew that magic.  That evil magic that was reserved for only times when the user was overcome with rage.  Emotion is an irrational thing, but the most powerful thing of all.  Will inhaled and awaited his fate. This magic wouldn't kill him, of course not, but slow him down enough to let the Rider pass.

            "No!"  Jane screamed and ran up to Will.  She had broken free of her brother's grasp and was in front of Will.  "NO!" she screamed even louder.

            The Rider released the magic the same time the blossom opened.  Blinding light erupted in the air, and Will's hands clasped around Bran's, helping him lift Erias.  The blossom fell off the branch and into Merriman's waiting hands.

            *                                              *                                                          *

            The three of them stared at the blossom for a minute after that.  It was strangely beautiful, despite it's withering.  Six eyes glanced up at each other.  "It is done," Bran said quietly, and looked over at Will.  Will smiled back.  It was clear that Bran had partly forgiven Will.

            The reverie was interrupted by a wail from Simon.  "GUMERRY!"  he screamed.  "GUMERRY COME QUICK!"

            Merriman, Bran and Will glanced at each other once more, and hurried over to where Simon was screaming.  The sight that met their eyes burned into their memories, never to be forgotten.

            Simon held Jane delicately in his arms.  She lay silently, her eyes staring intently into the now blue sky.  Her mouth was open slightly, and her arms lay lifelessly by her sides.  

            "She…she hit her head," croaked Barney, scooping one of her hands into his own.  "She went flying backwards…and she hit her head…"  He pointed to the other side of Jane's face, which was coated with dark blood, which had been gushing from a wound.  The magic from the Rider had hit her hard, with enough force to send her flying back into one of the rocks surrounding the tree.

            Will felt like someone was stabbing him one hundred times all over his body.  His hands shook and the unwelcome feeling of dread filled his heart.  "Is she…she's not…"

            But the look on Merriman's face, the tears in his otherwise serious eyes, the shake in his steady hands, told them what they all dreaded hearing.

            Jane Drew was dead.


	8. if i get through this know i loved you a...

            And so they all stood for what seemed like forever.  Tears streamed down all of their cheeks as they looked down at the girl who never really asked for anything for herself.  Dead.  Her mouth formed some sort of small and quiet smile, as if she were smiling at her own joke.  Her eyes were gently glazed over with a misty haze, suggesting that if she were alive, she would be crying as well.  

            Simon clutched her to his chest tightly, his entire body racked with sobs.  The boy who never once lost his poise or holier-than-thou attitude had been reduced to nothing but a hysterical mess at the loss of his quiet sister.  Blood was getting everywhere.  It continued to drip from Jane's head as Simon held her tighter and tighter, as if sheer affection could bring her back.  Barney sat beside his brother, holding his sister's hand gently and wailing into his brother's shoulder.

            Merriman had his face buried in his hands, but his shoulders, which shook with weeping, gave his attempted cover away.  

            "This wasn't supposed to happen," whispered Bran tearfully, wiping the tears from his face as they quickly came down.  "She wasn't supposed to get hurt.  None of them were."

            Will, who had been standing silently this entire time, felt the emotion swell up in his body.  His shaking hands were quaking so violently that his whole body began to shiver in unison.  With an anguished scream, he ran over to Jane's body and took her from Simon.  Simon surprisingly allowed him to and hugged Barney close to him.

            Will sobbed into Jane's shoulder, inhaling her scent and struggling to breathe.  "No!"  he wailed, his voice cracking with sobs.  "NO!  Jane!  I was supposed to protect her.  I told her I would."  Jane's eyes stared blankly up at him, and her tiny smile seemed to be amused.  Shaking, Will gently reached up and closed her eyes with his fingers.  Choking back another sob, he then pressed his lips onto her forehead and leaned his head against hers, saying words that no one else could hear.

            Bran walked up to Will and placed a hand on his shoulder.  "I'm sorry, Will."

            Will couldn't even respond.  He was too busy staring into Jane's face, running his hand near the gaping wound on the side of her head.  This wasn't supposed to happen.  Jane and Will were supposed to begin a new life together when the Dark was gone; they were supposed to be happy.

            "She never complained about any of the tasks," whispered Simon.  "She never said no, she always did anything for the good of someone else.  She never had anything of her own.  Not a thing."  

            "What's that?"  Barney asked raspily, pointing.

            They all looked to see a bright light forming beside the tree.  A figure began to form, a figure of a young lady with long hair.  The light shimmered and faded, to leave the woman standing there.

            "It's the Lady," whispered Bran.

            She walked slowly away from the tree to where everyone was standing.  Nothing like they all remembered her from the descriptions; the Lady was now young and vibrant and rather pretty.  She turned to Merriman.  "It is done?" she asked.

            Merriman nodded and wiped his eyes.  "At a price."  His voice was low and vibrating, a shaky tone none of them expected to hear from their fearless leader.

            "I heard," the Lady answered sadly.  "My messenger has died in battle.  Brave Juno was slain by the cowardly Dark.  I am so sorry, Merlion.  She was not intended to receive harm.  She didn't understand the magic that the Dark was going to use.  But that's how all deaths seem to be.  Not knowing your enemy and acting completely…selfless in the face of danger."

            The Lady stepped forward and glanced down at Jane's fallen body.  Emitting a mournful sigh, she knelt beside Will and touched Jane's forehead.  "Jane, my daughter," she said quietly.  "You have served the Light well."  She looked up at Will, who was gently rocking Jane back and forth.  "And you have served your heart well, I see."

            Will stopped rocking and looked at the Lady.  "M-my Lady," he stammered.  "She wasn't supposed to die.  Can't you do anything?"

            The Lady smiled.  "I shall try, my dear Will.  You've ignored Merlion and followed your own heart.  You put the Light in jeopardy.  One can even say that you yourself are responsible for Jane's death.  But the Light has prevailed, so of course I will try and help you."  She got up and faced the rest of the group.

            "Bran," she said quietly.  "Your father would like to know if you would return to his time, and be his son.  Are you ready to give me an answer?"

            Bran bit his lip and thought.  He thought about his life with Owen Davies and how much he was loved.  Then he thought about Jane.  He thought about the possibilities of loving her, and finding something new.  Something new.  "You may tell my father that I will return to his time," Bran said reluctantly.  

            The Lady smiled.  "Well, we depart now."  She turned back to Will and the Drews.  Without another word she placed her hand on the side of Jane's head.  A bright shimmer of light flashed out, and Jane's wound was gone.  The Lady then knelt down and ran a gentle hand through Jane's hair, a small smile playing across her face.  "Come, my daughter."  The Lady carefully picked up Jane's fallen body from Will's grasp.  

            "Wha--?" sputtered Will.  "What's going on?"

            The Lady took Bran's hand.  "Your reward, Old One," she replied kindly.  "I will take your Jane back to our time where she will live as Lady Jane Drew, companion of Bran the Pendragon.  There she will wait for you.  When you arrive, you and she will begin your life again."

            Will's eyes widened. "T-Thank you."  He was stunned.

            "And as for the Drews, I will make it so they think that they never had a sis—"

            "No," interrupted Merriman, stepping forward and touching the Lady's hand.  "No.  We can never deny the existence of someone like Jane.  Make them think she died in a car crash, or something along those lines.  Do not erase her from them." He glanced at Simon and Barney, who were silently clinging to each other, crying their quiet tears for Jane. "She was a wonderful sister to them.  She asked for nothing."

            The Lady nodded.  "Then we shall give her something."  

            "Say your goodbyes," Merriman said softly to Bran, who immediately walked over to Will and offered him his hand.

            Will glanced at Bran's offer, and quickly pulled him close into a tight embrace.  "I'm sorry for everything," the Old One whispered tearfully.  

            "Me too," said Bran quietly.  He pulled back and grinned.  "You were a great friend, Will Stanton.  Even if you are a bloody idiot sometimes."

            Will laughed.  "You're a good friend too, when you pull your head out of your ass long enough."  He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm.  "You…you take care of her until I get there, alright?"

            "I'll guard her with my life," insisted Bran.  "She'll be there, waiting for you.  As wonderful as she ever was."

            Merriman stepped forward.  "This is where I leave you as well, Old One.  Guide Simon and Barney back home.  This earth is your haven now; it's safe for you to live your life.  What happens to it is up to its inhabitants, and until you rejoin us again, you're in charge here, Will."  He choked back tears to form a smile.  "I look forward to us meeting again."

            Will nodded, and was folded into a cool embrace from his master.  "I look forward to us all together again."

            Merriman stepped back and turned away with the Lady, Bran, and Jane, who still lay lifeless in the Lady's arms.  Bran was holding one of her hands tightly, and waved slowly with his other hand.  The three turned and walked down the other side of the hill, and when Will ran over to look—they were gone.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	9. Unconquerable

Will Stanton "died" sixty years later.  At least to the appearance of everyone around him, he died.  He was a bachelor, but constantly surrounded by the company of his nieces and nephews.  He lived out the rest of his life on his old family farm, an estate to be inherited by his oldest nephew and carried on with the Stanton family.

            He went in his sleep, and when they found him the next morning, the nurse swore up and down that he was smiling.

            _He was 18 again, his body was taut and young, and the hills that he had just crossed barely phased his energy supply.  A great castle covered the land before him, the turrets in his sight well before he'd reached it.  The sounds of laughter echoed from the courtyard on the side, and he ran to follow it._

_            "Will Stanton, whatever took you so long?"_

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


End file.
